Bye, bye
Owing to lack of interest in this blog I won’t be posting on it any more, IF anyone should by chance wish to see what I’m up to I shall be continuing, for a while anyway, on Blogspot, where a few loyal followers still keep up with me, Thanks for your past comments and interest /http://4pawsandatale.blogspot.co.uk/
Something to think about
I was gong to blog about my telephones, but that will keep for a day or two, I was emailed this and I just had to share it
The Haircut
A teenage boy had just passed his driving test and inquired of his father as to when they could discuss his use of the car.
His father said he’d make a deal with his son, “You bring your grades up from a C to a B average, study your Bible a little, and get your hair cut. Then we’ll talk about the car.”
The boy thought about that for a moment, decided he’d settle for the offer, and they agreed on it.
After about six weeks his father said, “Son, you’ve brought your grades up and I’ve observed that you have been studying your Bible, but I’m disappointed you haven’t had your hair cut.”
The boy said, “You know, Dad, I’ve been thinking about that, and I’ve noticed in my studies of the Bible that Samson had long hair, John the Baptist had long hair, Moses had long hair, and there’s even strong evidence that Jesus had long hair.”
(You’re going to love the Dad’s reply!)
“Did you also notice they all walked everywhere they went?”
Walking the dog
Reportedly, a woman was flying from Seattle to San Francisco .
The flight attendant explained that there would be a delay, and if the passengers wanted to get off the aircraft the plane would re-board in 50 minutes..
Everybody got off the plane except one lady
A man had noticed her as he walked by and could tell the lady was blind because her guide dog lay quietly underneath the seats in front of her throughout the entire flight..
The blind lady said,
Picture this:
Till I think of something original
|
Via:
Via:
Via:
Via:
Via:
Via:
Via:
Via:
Via:
Via:
Via:
Via:
Via:
Via:
Via:
Via:
Via:
Via:
Via:
Via:
Via:
Via:
Via:
Via:Post Crufts
Hi all, updating you about my Crufts visit.,
Made the preparations a few days earlier with my friends who were looking after the dogs, Joan was coming at 8 till 1 , and Avril from around 1.30 till 6 ish.
Saturday morning woke up at 3.30am instead of 4 ! having gone to bed at 9 pm. not bad, Washed, dressed, fed dogs and on the road at 5.15 am. Met Martin [son in law] at 5.45 and on we drove. it’s about a 3 hour journey. There was patches of fog on the A34 but not enough to hold us up and we made it into Crufts at 8.15 am,, not bad if I say so myself. Had breakfast [again] and got ourselves to Hall no 5. After we settled in our seats I went round [what we call the benches] where the dogs and handlers are, chatted to some friends and took a few photos.
I would have liked to have gone to see the GSD’s but the Obedience starts at 9.15 so there’s just never enough time. There were 21 bitches competing, [the dogs had competed the day before] , once upon a time there used to be easy 35 – 40 but apart from the fact that some handlers had qualified more than once it is a sport that is sadly on the decline, this is due to the more spectator interest of Heelwork to Music, Flyball and Agility, all visually more exciting and to be honest intelligible to the public. Competition Obedience is on par with dressage compared to hacking., and takes many hours of disciplined work and attention to detail. You have to win your way through the classes, starting with Pre beginners, all the way to Championship C, where you compete for a qualifier, that takes you to Crufts, you can’t just ‘enter’. Tango got that far, but didn’t get the qualifier. There are only a number of shows per year who award qualifiers, and are called Championship shows, thus limiting the numbers who qualify, but some teams win more than one and therefore reducing the numbers at Crufts. Suffice to say that what you get at Crufts is the best in the land, and actually, many countries have tried emulating the British method and style of dog training. Copied but never equalled .
It was the usual mixture of first timers who were a bit over awed with nerves playing a part in robbing them of a good performance, to old timers who qualify year after year.
No one except the judge and her stewards know what the contest will be, but it has to adhere to certain rules. There is Heelwork which is carried out at Normal, fast and slow pace, with perhaps a circle to be negotiated with one foot always on the line, a weave between poles, whilst walking, the dog has to stop in a stand , sit and down position with one command and brought to heel on the way back with one command. no other commands are permitted, The dog must stay close at all times. Retrieving an object supplied by the judge, each dog has a replica object. Do six different positions with one command at a distance of 40 yards from the handler, Sent to a spot on the floor, which can be visible to the dog or not, drop down when told , and then called to heel when the handler is told to call the dog. {still with me?} Sit all together for two mins while the handlers disappear, and lie down for ten mins the same. then comes the scent, this exercise is usually the decider as it’s done last, the dog having to find the judges scent on a piece of cloth in amongst 9 other cloths with two decoy scents.
The lady who won the day I was there is a very well seasoned handler and made up several champions. Second was Dot Watts, who bred my Tango and to whom I used to go for lessons , she too is a highly experienced handler with several Champions under her belt.
A champion is made by winning three qualifiers at different champ shows under different judges, a win at crufts automatically makes a dog an Obedience Champion.
We finished at 4.45 pm and after a couple of good byes were on the road at 5 pm, Thankfully Martin drove home as arranged. After dropping him off I got home at 8.15 pm. fed the dogs, had a cuppa and crashed out, Next day I wasn’t too bad and caught up with some gardening after a long dog walk, but it caught up with me next day.
Here are some photos I hope they turn out OK first time i’ve done an album As you can see the benches are all decorated with the good luck cards friends send to their favourites. by contrast the other benches e.g. boxers have no cards, we fought a long battle to be allowed them. The dog sitting on the girl’s lap is Trendy, my friend Madge’s dog, Madge is fourth down on left with Trendy , second one in below header is Mary Ray of the heelwork to music fame. Next to Madge is Dot with Frenzi working, then Madge working. next is the stays, then the scent with the judge rubbing the cloth before giving to the handler look how the first dog, who won incidentally, is sitting with his front feet up.
then the dogs are working scent, second one is the dog getting the right cloth. Then there is the judge and her party, then the winners. Kath Ingham, who worked two dogs, and Dot.
Crufts to-morrow
I’ve got a bit of catching up to do with some sites, sorry folks but …..no real excuse, just procrastination. Anyhow I won’t be around tomorrow as I’m off to Crufts THE dog show, looking forward to it, but not the 4 am rise and three hour drive to Birmingham, but it will be worth it when I get there, It’s lovely meeting up with old friends and watching some work. These are la crème de la crème of Obedience dogs, the best in the world, I just wish I’d tried harder with Tango and , who knows? I just might have made it with him, he had {IMO} the ability, but I was both too lazy and not ambitious enough., he got pretty close though, oh well, hindsight is easy. I still have the best dog of the bunch. My friends are coming to sit with Him and Ruby to-morrow, he’ll like that as he loves people and being made a fuss of.
I’m taking them out in ten minutes, come back to bathe and wash my hair, and bed by 9 pm and won’t get back home till about 8 pm, a long day. My son in law Martin is accompanying me, I won’t do the drive on my own anymore, it’s just too much in one day, I realized that last time I went, I felt like I could easily have fallen asleep on the motorway.
If I’m not too tired i’ll post up to-morrow evening, till then be good.
Another lovely day
This morning started off very misty and damp, so decided to clear the ironing before I took the dogs out, job done, and dusted, big sighs of relief, Took the dogs out and gradually the mist got burned off as the sun came up, It soon turned quite warm and by the time I got home around 12 noon, it was very pleasant. I had a quick lunch and decided to mow the lawns, one of the jobs on the list.
just posting a couple of pics so you can see what a busy bee I’ve been, thought I’d pass on the ironing, oh and the washing I popped in the machine before I went out, the garden is a tad prettier.
Got to wear the proper gear love my Crocs Arlene gave me for Christmas
Halfway through the job
All done
Just a little pic of Ruby, Tango was indoors asleep!
Below is the tree on 11th January 2012, not much different
My Lime tree that we’re photographing month by month, the last time I photographed it was 11th Jan., but as it hadn’t changed much I couldn’t see the point in doing another, It is just starting to show red on the branches now, and the buds are just about starting to swell,
My Invitation
This morning I got an invitation, no, not to a party nor Buckingham Palace, but…..to renew my car insurance, I love the way they write to you. Dear Mrs Phillips Then they thank me for insuring with them for the past twelve months, I should think they should thank me, I’m paying for their holidays and their over inflated salaries, aren’t I? They then inform me that they are DELIGHTED to confirm my details for the next 12 months, why in heavens name should they be delighted, ? not unless they take for granted that I am going to renew it again so they can have more jollies and possibly a new kitchen . I’m not DEEElighted, why should I be, when they want to charge me an extra five twenty pound notes, yes. ONE HUNDRED POUNDS for the same service, and , I have to pay the first £250 if I do want to claim. I haven’t asked them for one penny, nor advice, help, or for even so much as a Hello, how are you in the past year, so why I have to give them even more of my hard earned money is a downright liberty and daylight robbery. Methinks I’ll be spending my hard won leisure time trawling the ‘net looking for a better ‘party’ to be invited to.
It all falls flat
Damn, damn, damn, after yesterday’s little spurt and getting all fired up to really make a big dent in the garden chores, it’s all gone pear shaped, why’s that ? you ask, well two reasons, One is that it’s a good deal chillier and pretty dull and overcast….. and Two is that I didn’t sleep too well last night and took half a sleeping pill around 3 am and slept till gone eight. I took the dogs out and did some shopping which meant I didn’t get back till around noon, as I ‘d a finished the pot of soup I made the other day, I had to cook from scratch, more time gone, …………by the time I’d cooked and eaten it was 1.30 pm, feeling tired after last night’s disturbance and just had to get my head down for a little nap, it’s our dancing night to-night and I wanted to be fresh, I re-surfaced at 2.30 pm feeling a bit woozy, so had to sit and collect my stray thoughts. What do I have to do to-day, ? I remember, my hair has to be washed and fresh clothes to be sorted., also wanted to put the dogs bedding through the wash, so what do I do, get out the laptop and had a good moan to my friends in blogland. , also it lets you know I’m not the superhuman I made out to be. :-))
Ah well, there’s always to-morrow, now I feel it’s time for a cuppa. Cheers
